Blade Sharpness Research Project

[helicopter]

Finally, we have the Shark Platinum. This must be the premium one because it comes in a plastic blade bank. This blade starts out very sharp, and remains very sharp through the first two paper cuts. It is fairly inconsistent at this point, and gets worse during the third and fourth paper cuts. Throughout the test, there was a gap between the sharpness of the two edges, which explains part of the high standard deviation. Even on the new blade, it is enough that I wouldn't want to stock up on this blade. In any case, it should be serviceable for 5-7 shaves on most beards.

Information Summary:

Date	7/6/24	7/6/24	7/6/24	7/6/24	7/6/24
Blade	Shark Pt	Platinum	Lord Egypt
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Flip Center	Flip Center	Flip Center	Flip Center	Flip Center
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	10	13	18	26	28
Median F (g)	65	61	62	70	84
Mean F (g)	67	65	69	84	96

The edge of the new blade is a beautifully honed single bevel. It has a nice scratch pattern and is honed smooth at the edge.

After testing, the blade, which was beyond usability at this point, still looks relatively nice, especially compared to the Shark Super Stainless. The coating is gone at the edge, the scratch pattern has smoothed out considerably, and there is some small chipping near the apex. This appears to be a much more resilient steel than the Super Stainless.

Complete Data:

Date	7/6/24	7/6/24	7/6/24	7/6/24	7/6/24
Blade	Shark Pt	Platinum	Lord Egypt
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Flip Center	Flip Center	Flip Center	Flip Center	Flip Center
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	10	13	18	26	28
Median F (g)	65	61	62	70	84
Mean F (g)	67	65	69	84	96
F (g) 1	78	55	59	70	75
F (g) 2	78	60	66	125	88
F (g) 3	70	86	65	126	66
F (g) 4	73	59	61	77	76
F (g) 5	81	54	52	129	65
F (g) 6	64	60	74	68	79
F (g) 7	66	60	57	116	76
F (g) 8	69	77	52	71	76
F (g) 9	64	50	73	76	71
F (g) 10	65	58	107	125	72
F (g) 11	65	67	73	65	67
F (g) 12	76	98	107	84	92
F (g) 13	71	66	64	67	151
F (g) 14	89	53	57	119	120
F (g) 15	72	58	50	110	83
F (g) 16	58	55	61	61	136
F (g) 17	53	65	60	68	85
F (g) 18	60	73	58	53	73
F (g) 19	65	72	54	70	85
F (g) 20	59	91	54	64	143
F (g) 21	64	62	52	66	153
F (g) 22	82	63	63	105	74
F (g) 23	51	48	96	68	130
F (g) 24	64	71	59	61	92
F (g) 25	56	50	76	66	118
F (g) 26	57	52	102	128	141
F (g) 27	53	65	59	66	125
F (g) 28	50	82	93	62	80
F (g) 29	80	59	64	62	80
F (g) 30	68	90	109	79	115

This is clearly not a top tier blade, and I don't recommend buying more than a tuck to try out. The Shark Super Chrome is clearly the best of the three, this one is a clear second, and the Super Stainless, which performed poorly, is the clear loser.

 

[helicopter]

Just noticed the Personna is marked on the blade: 6/14/22.

 

[Flanders]

I have been quietly lurking, reading all of the posts many times, because this is a project that I had wanted to do several years ago. I quit at the planning stage due to not being able to come up with what I felt was a reliable test protocol. I admit that initially these test results didn't convince me that they were accurate, but I am coming around due to the flood of testing in the last week here.

There are some things that stand out to me: one is that even if we have collectively got the sharpness wrong, the characteristics of the blade from shave to shave have largely been correct. Two, there are some blades here that people have found unsuitable for them and, based on previous testing, it seemed like they should have been fairly universal. From what I can see, those people weren't imagining things; claiming YMMV is unhelpful for understanding. Some of these blades are sharper than previous tests and I am coming to the uncomfortable conclusion that I may actually like sharper blades than I thought. The flip side of this is that most shaving blades are very close in sharpness and it is their quality that differentiate them. Feathers, and Indian Astras, being obvious outliers. I do still wonder what it is that we feel that causes us to assign them inaccurate sharpness? Clearly, the coating is probably the big one as Gillette concluded in the early '70s, but it seems like my interest in microscope images of different grind profiles was heading in the right direction. AC blades seem to have both of these optimised based on SEM images I have seen.

I am a bit baffled because I have spent quite some time testing different blades against my beard and some just don't produce as close of a shave. It's very possible that the blade is not cutting cleanly instead of the sharpness being all that different. If that is the case then that would have to come down to coating and bevel grind as mentioned above, I don't see what else would produce real result differences if the blades are so close to the same sharpness. This also brings up the question of how much difference in grams of force is really enough to consider one blade sharper than another? Once again, it seems like the blade that is knocking down hairs without resistance is clearly the more effective blade... for a specific persons beard. Which may be independent of the measured sharpness. Sorry to repeat this so many times in different ways, I am trying to make some sense of all this myself.

I think, ultimately, we are going to circle back around to YMMV, but with some better understanding of what causes experiences to vary. I think the actual sharpness is only going to be valuable to quantify the decline curve of the blade and it's overall quality. These new posts on Shark blades seem to illustrate this perfectly. The Stainless blades aren't necessarily dull in comparison to the others, but they are clearly low enough quality that several of us can perceive that something is off about them. This also implies that there is more to all these different Lord branded blades than three different versions with many different brand names because Silver Stars are a high quality blade compared to these particular Stainless blades, at least I hope so.

 

[helicopter]

Today we have the Gillette Silver Blue Stainless blade, made in Russia and dated December 4, 2018. Consistent with its reputation, and that of the plant where it was made, it is an excellent blade that is sharp, but not as sharp as the Perma Sharp and similar blades. Like the Perma Sharp, the GSB is excellent steel that is very durable. It picks up some sharpness with the first paper test as the thick coating is worn, and it retains most of its original sharpness through the next two cuts. It deserves its place tied for second place, as a top tier blade in the SOTD quick count.

Information Summary:

Date	7/7/24	7/7/24	7/7/24	7/7/24	7/7/24
Blade	Gillette SB	Silver Blue	Stainless	Russia	12/4/2018
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	10	7	7	7	9
Median F (g)	72.5	65.5	72	77	76
Mean F (g)	75	66	71	76	77
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Median adj. F (g)	60	54	60	64	63
Mean adj. F (g)	62	55	59	63	64

With the new blade, we have a fine and even single-bevel scratch pattern honed smooth near the apex with a heavy coating over the entire bevel. I suspect this wide and even coating contributes to the pleasant feel of this blade on the skin, and its high performance clearing stubble and lather.

After the test is complete, the bevel has smoothed considerably, and the coating virtually is gone, There is some very fine chipping at the apex, but this blade, which has been through the equivalent of about 15 shaves on my face, is still in good enough shape that I wouldn't hesitate to shave with it if I didn't have other blades to try, like the ones for the Shark Week theme.

Complete Data:

Date	7/7/24	7/7/24	7/7/24	7/7/24	7/7/24
Blade	Gillette SB	Silver Blue	Stainless	Russia	12/4/2018
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	10	7	7	7	9
Median F (g)	72.5	65.5	72	77	76
Mean F (g)	75	66	71	76	77
F (g) 1	91	73	66	81	74
F (g) 2	82	69	64	75	76
F (g) 3	94	85	61	68	84
F (g) 4	87	71	77	82	78
F (g) 5	84	69	73	76	84
F (g) 6	91	67	77	81	83
F (g) 7	78	63	74	74	64
F (g) 8	73	76	81	76	78
F (g) 9	72	63	76	63	76
F (g) 10	67	68	76	87	80
F (g) 11	76	61	82	81	76
F (g) 12	96	70	74	84	87
F (g) 13	70	80	71	72	83
F (g) 14	74	58	85	79	75
F (g) 15	77	56	71	74	89
F (g) 16	76	63	61	79	66
F (g) 17	64	47	63	74	91
F (g) 18	62	66	65	79	75
F (g) 19	69	57	64	81	88
F (g) 20	71	64	65	79	73
F (g) 21	72	63	62	79	70
F (g) 22	71	67	74	78	71
F (g) 23	61	63	84	63	74
F (g) 24	58	65	68	65	96
F (g) 25	69	63	77	71	75
F (g) 26	69	75	67	78	66
F (g) 27	75	59	73	75	59
F (g) 28	64	67	79	70	85
F (g) 29	71	64	67	70	83
F (g) 30	74	67	66	91	64

This blade has excellent consistency and durability and I am happy to give it my recommendation.

 

[helicopter]

This is the idea. I need to get the rest of the top tier blades added.

 

[thombrogan]

Amazing and sobering. Thanks for this, @helicopter

 

[helicopter]

Tonight, we have the last of the SOTD Quick Count blades, the Gillette Platinum Russia blade, manufactured November 15, 2020. It is not quite as sharp or consistent as most of the top tier blades, but it has a nice looking edge that wears acceptably.

I am not sure I want to include any of the measurements I did with the old test media, because it adds an additional conversion which is a source of additional error. I intend to re-measure them at some point, but I haven't decided if I will do that next.

Information Summary:

Date	7/7/24	7/7/24	7/7/24	7/7/24	7/7/24
Blade	Gillette Pt
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	8	11	12	14	14
Median F (g)	71	79.5	85	93.5	105.5
Mean F (g)	72	82	87	95	106
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Median adj. F (g)	59	66	71	78	88
Mean adj. F (g)	60	68	72	79	88

The new blade has a single bevel, with a nice scratch pattern, and smooth honing at the edge. The coating is thick and even.

After completing the testing, the blade has some chipping. The bevel has smoothed considerably, and the coating appears to be completely gone. I wouldn't take it this far in shaving, but I need to try it to say how far I would go with it. It wears fairly evenly throughout the testing, so there will be a range of opinions on what makes sense for this one. The apex isn't terrible here, but it looks a little rough for my upper lip.

Complete Data:

Date	7/7/24	7/7/24	7/7/24	7/7/24	7/7/24
Blade	Gillette Pt	Platinum	Stainless	Russia	11/15/2020
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	8	11	12	14	14
Median F (g)	71	79.5	85	93.5	105.5
Mean F (g)	72	82	87	95	106
F (g) 1	77	73	88	75	88
F (g) 2	91	69	85	72	98
F (g) 3	85	67	81	113	105
F (g) 4	74	62	81	83	107
F (g) 5	77	68	63	92	125
F (g) 6	82	90	111	70	93
F (g) 7	69	98	94	106	95
F (g) 8	82	68	82	90	99
F (g) 9	78	98	80	74	114
F (g) 10	66	78	72	82	75
F (g) 11	76	72	74	81	90
F (g) 12	84	85	58	116	101
F (g) 13	69	71	71	101	101
F (g) 14	72	99	81	93	88
F (g) 15	75	84	82	92	121
F (g) 16	76	79	103	106	107
F (g) 17	64	78	105	123	113
F (g) 18	58	79	100	88	105
F (g) 19	75	82	91	83	106
F (g) 20	63	77	97	107	104
F (g) 21	67	92	85	91	106
F (g) 22	66	99	92	91	98
F (g) 23	70	78	91	94	107
F (g) 24	66	102	83	99	115
F (g) 25	62	80	108	95	121
F (g) 26	77	80	88	100	107
F (g) 27	64	79	82	103	104
F (g) 28	65	88	84	111	106
F (g) 29	69	93	93	107	149
F (g) 30	69	84	91	106	124

There is another performance gap between the two edges of this blade, but unlike the Shark SS, it probably isn't enough to be noticeable. I can see how some people will like this blade. I can also see why it is less popular than the GSB, Feather, Perma Sharp, and such.

 

[Sweeney_]

View attachment 1874222

This is the idea. I need to get the rest of the top tier blades added.

For me, the actual shaves are the final judgment, but for those of us who aren't one and done types, this chart is very helpful for comparisons.

Impressive work and thank you

 

[helicopter]

For me, the actual shaves are the final judgment, but for those of us who aren't one and done types, this chart is very helpful for comparisons.

Impressive work and thank you

Indeed. We are measuring sharpness and durability, and we are visually inspecting the bevels, coatings, and edges. It may not be able to tell you what you are going to like.

 

[PALORAZOR]

Such a great test. Looking forward to more posts! Makes my Razor Blade Test findings seem like I'm thinking with Crayons!

 

[WhiskerLess]

View attachment 1874222

This is the idea. I need to get the rest of the top tier blades added.

Thanks for doing this, not an easy task and so many of us here appreciate it.

Watching this thread and could not wait to see the updated chart.

 

[helicopter]

Today I measured the new Gillette Wilkinson Sword India saloon pack blade. It is nicely packaged with a manufacturing date of December, 2023. This blade is not particularly sharp or durable, but it shouldn't pose any serious problems for people who discard it when it starts to wear.

Information Summary:

Date	7/8/24	7/8/24	7/8/24	7/8/24	7/8/24
Blade	Wilkinson Sword	Gillette	Stainless Saloon	India	12/1/2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	9	15	16	13	19
Median F (g)	79	96	97.5	106	117.5
Mean F (g)	81	96	97	105	120
BESS Adj. Factor	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83	0.83
Median adj. F (g)	66	80	81	88	98
Mean adj. F (g)	67	80	81	87	100

Blade Comparison:

The new blade has a beautiful bevel with a finely ground and even edge that appears to have a light coating. I haven't tried it yet, but I would guess it is smooth and probably feels good on the skin for people with setups and hair such that it is sharp enough to cut effectively.

The testing procedure took this blade well beyond where I would consider using it, the equivalent of about 15 shaves on my face, with a blade I would probably retire after three shaves or so. The bevel has smoothed out considerably, all visible coating is gone, and typical of most good razor steels after they are worn out, there is some small chipping along the edge.

Complete Data:

Date	7/8/24	7/8/24	7/8/24	7/8/24	7/8/24
Blade	Wilkinson Sword	Gillette	Stainless Saloon	India	12/1/2023
Shaves	0	P3	P6	P9	P12
Location	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top	Bottom/Top
Medium	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29	Stren 8 .29
Dulling Substrate	New	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push	Stpl Ppr Rubr Push
Measurements	30	30	30	30	30
Std. Dev.	9	15	16	13	19
Median F (g)	79	96	97.5	106	117.5
Mean F (g)	81	96	97	105	120
F (g) 1	93	83	99	122	106
F (g) 2	78	91	113	123	120
F (g) 3	84	99	117	120	114
F (g) 4	72	91	113	106	83
F (g) 5	83	114	90	110	141
F (g) 6	76	112	90	120	117
F (g) 7	99	101	90	112	173
F (g) 8	82	110	107	106	116
F (g) 9	92	98	96	113	126
F (g) 10	83	94	95	102	130
F (g) 11	91	105	101	116	108
F (g) 12	84	94	115	123	109
F (g) 13	94	115	102	101	110
F (g) 14	96	86	83	125	127
F (g) 15	74	89	102	114	120
F (g) 16	78	78	80	87	150
F (g) 17	77	108	112	86	101
F (g) 18	80	110	78	98	95
F (g) 19	91	102	101	86	110
F (g) 20	77	118	82	106	100
F (g) 21	75	73	74	86	158
F (g) 22	72	83	131	101	118
F (g) 23	76	62	116	88	125
F (g) 24	58	79	78	114	136
F (g) 25	74	89	69	94	106
F (g) 26	71	111	122	95	129
F (g) 27	69	107	80	86	115
F (g) 28	88	118	109	112	102
F (g) 29	79	76	90	118	137
F (g) 30	79	77	84	87	132

Overall this blade appears to be of acceptable quality, and has a finely ground bevel. It isn't sharp or durable, and isn't a top tier blade, but I can see how some people would like it, as long as they are retiring it when it wears out after a few shaves.

 

[WhiskerLess]

Is Feather Hi-Stainless also taking part on your test?

 

[Sweeney_]

I hope the German Wilkinson Sword is on the agenda.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Today I measured the new Gillette Wilkinson Sword India saloon pack blade...

Overall this blade appears to be of acceptable quality, and has a finely ground bevel. It isn't sharp or durable, and isn't a top tier blade, but I can see how some people would like it, as long as they are retiring it when it wears out after a few shaves.

AFAIK, this blade is in the low cost tier in India, intended mainly for sale to barber shops, etc. for one-time use.

Subjectively, I thought it was OK for two or three shaves. Smooth but not especially sharp. I guess my subject-o-meter is working pretty well.

Enjoying seeing these tests. Thanks for doing them.

 

[helicopter]

Any objections to skipping the P12 measurement set for most blades going forward?

I can keep doing it for blades that show exceptional durability through P9 or blades that have a reputation for exceptional durability.

For many blades, they are toast at P9 and the P12 test may be a waste of effort and a distraction. I think it may be a distraction on the chart as well.

I just re-measured the Feather, and found myself reasonably happy with the comparability of today's test with the original one using the adjustment I have in place. The biggest difference is that I measured both edges and there is some variance there, between the edges, especially at P12. The bottom edge of the first Feather is within 1g force on the first four sets of measurements, so I am inclined to add some of the other information based on measurements I did with the .27mm Stren line to the chart as it is.

Each paper cut adds more entropy to the edge than the one before it, so I think we get more accurate comparisons if we ditch the P12 comparisons.

Thoughts?

 

[Jay21]

I’ve been following this with great interest. I have a question because I’m trying to visualize what you mean by the words “gap between the edges,” which seems to increase the standard deviation.

 

[cakaguna]

If P12 isn’t giving useful data, ditch it.

In the example of the Shark PT, it helps illustrate the sudden drop off in sharpness. In the Nacet, it’s odd because it’s the same as P9, which makes you wonder what it would be like at P15.

it’s fun to see, but not necessary.

 

[helicopter]

I’ve been following this with great interest. I have a question because I’m trying to visualize what you mean by the words “gap between the edges,” which seems to increase the standard deviation.

Sorry, a variance between the cutting force of the top edge and the cutting force of the bottom edge. There is some variance on most blades.

 

[WhiskerLess]

Any objections to skipping the P12 measurement set for most blades going forward?

I can keep doing it for blades that show exceptional durability through P9 or blades that have a reputation for exceptional durability.

For many blades, they are toast at P9 and the P12 test may be a waste of effort and a distraction. I think it may be a distraction on the chart as well.

It’s your research, do what you think is best. We are merely avid spectators and already benefiting a lot with the efforts your doing.

Speaking for myself alone, P9 data is enough for longevity. It’s a good indicator for the user whether blade deterioration at that point still acceptable or not. If someone can get extra shave out if it, is a bonus already.